Kehler on Hoops: GEORGE DEFEATS ARCHBISHOP WOOD 66-65
Written by: Dell Jackson on December 19, 2021
GEORGE DEFEATS ARCHBISHOP WOOD 66-65
The feature game in the Diane Mosco Foundation Shootout was a thriller, as George staved off a furious late rally by host Archbishop Wood to win 66-65 in a game of very high quality. This was signal win for George, a rising power in the non-PIAA Friends Schools League, over the defending champions of the Philadelphia Catholic League. Archbishop Wood also advanced to the Pennsylvania PIAA Class 6A state championship game last season. George was a late substitute for Bishop McNamara, as the team from Forestville, MD, was unable to meet Archbishop Wood due to a coronavirus issue.
This intensely contested game started with both teams wanting to run. George forged an early lead, largely spurred by a 14-0 run at the end of the first frame. 6′ 4″ George sophomore Christian Bliss scored 11 points in the first quarter, including a 3 pointer at the buzzer.. Five George players scored in the first period, but Kachi Nzeh, a sensational 6′ 8″ George junior got into early foul trouble and had to sit. Five Wood players also scored in the first quarter, and 3 pointers by 6′ 3″ senior Tyson Allen and 6′ 5″ senior Mike Knouse kept the game close.
In the second frame, a 3 pointer by 6′ 7″ George senior Evan Heffelfinger gave his team a 28-21 lead, the biggest margin in the contest up to that point. Then, 6′ 2″ Wood sophomore Jalil Bethea began to find the range. A 3 pointer by Bethea, followed by his driving layup, knotted the score at 28. The teams then exchanged leads four times, until Nzeh scored on a thunderous dunk. Wood’s Allen had the final word in the first half with a drive to the hoop, but Wood trailed by four points at the break, 39-34.
Knouse opened the second half scoring with a 3 pointer to draw Wood within one, and, a few minutes later, Wood took a 47-44 lead on a 3 pointer by Bethea. Then, 6′ 1″ George senior Zach White made two consecutive 3 pointers to give his team a three point lead. From this point, George led for the rest of the game.
Early in the fourth quarter, a Nzeh dunk put George ahead 61-53. Wood responded with a couple free throws by 6′ 2″ senior Justin Moore, and another 3 pointer by Bethea to cut George’s lead to 61-58. From this point, George focused more on half court offense, but Wood made things difficult for them. With 2:31 left in the game, a spectacular driving dunk by Wood’s Moore cut George’s lead to 66-62, and, with 1:46 left, Wood’s Knouse hit another 3 pointer to make the score 66-65, in favor of George. There would be no further scoring, as the teams traded unforced turnovers, and three Wood shots fell short. Heffelfinger got a hand on Wood’s final attempt, and George clinched a hard earned win.
The quality of basketball in this game was excellent. Both teams have superb coaches, and both of these squads will have exceptional seasons. It was a fitting end to an outstanding event.
George had a slight edge on the boards, 38 to 37, although Wood out-rebounded George 16 to 10 in the final quarter. George committed 15 turnovers to Wood’s 10. George was 7 for 11 from the free throw line, and Wood was 8 for 10. Both of these teams can shoot from outside, and 3 pointers were a central part of both offenses. George made seven 3 pointers, and five different players hit from behind the arc. Archbishop Wood made nine 3 pointers, four of them by Bethea and three of them by Knouse. This was a close game all the way, and there were five ties and eight lead changes.
George scoring: Christian Bliss 22, Kachi Nzeh 14, Zach White 10, Dante Weise 7, Evan Heffelfinger 5, Kendell Gordon 5, and Kyle Anderson 3.
Archbishop Wood scoring: Jalil Bethea 16, Tyson Allen 16, Justin Moore 12, Mike Knouse 9, Carson Howard 6, and Basil Laster 6.
George 22 17 20 7-66
Archbishop Wood 16 19 16 14-65
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